Homer Van Meter

Homer Van Meter (3 December 1905-23 August 1934) was an American bank robber and associate of John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson during the Great Depression.

Biography
Homer Van Meter was born on 3 December 1905 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the son of an alcoholic railroad conductor. Van Meter ran away from his home while he was in sixth grade, and he worked as a bellhop in Chicago, Illinois. In 1923, he was arrested for larceny, and a March 1925 passenger train robbery led to Van Meter staying in prison until 19 May 1933, being beaten by guards. Van Meter joined Baby Face Nelson and Tommy Carroll in robbing banks in the Midwest during the Great Depression, and he was ranked Public Enemy No. 18 in 1933. In March 1934, he joined John Dillinger's gang after his escape from prison, and he engaged in several bank robberies that year. On 23 August 1934, he was halted by four heavily-armed policemen in St. Paul, Minnesota, and he ignored a command to stop, fleeing into an alleyway. Van Meter shot at police with a pistol as he ran, but he was gunned down by Thompson submachine gun fire, severing one of his fingers. He was not buried in his family's plot due to shame.